In typical fashion, Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said just what everybody else was thinking when he spoke to reports on Tuesday.
During an early morning media session held at the 2018 NFL owners meetings in Orlando, Florida on Tuesday, Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer opened up on an array of topics regarding the current state of his team and the NFL.
From Minnesota’s offseason quarterback theatrics to the NFL’s unanimous revamping of the polarizing catch rule, the Vikings’ lead man left no stone unturned and approached every question with his signature, refreshingly candid tone all while chowing down on a plateful of scrambled eggs.
When a reporter inquired about the “Super Bowl or bust” label some have given to the defending NFC North champions, Zimmer was quick to dismiss such a severe ultimatum on the upcoming season.
#Vikings coach Mike Zimmer making clear after Kirk Cousins signing: “I don’t look at this as Super Bowl or bust.” Says you’re as good as your last game. So will he show players the Philly game when they get back? “Hell no. I don’t want to watch that either.”
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 27, 2018
He also briefly examined how difficult it is to reach the top of the NFL mountaintop, while pointing out a possible explanation for the team’s large hiccup that was the NFC Championship game.
"“It’s really, really hard to win the Super Bowl. I’ve been with teams that are really good and don’t play good, for whatever reason. Everybody’s telling them how great they are. You know, the (Philadelphia) game might be a perfect example of that. All week long, human nature, everybody is telling us how great we are, and ‘that was the greatest play ever.'”"
Zimmer is, of course, referring to Minnesota’s miraculous victory over the New Orleans Saints during the NFC divisional round of last season’s playoffs.
Here’s the clip, in case you’re having a less than stellar day. Man, I miss football.
.@STEFONDIGGS FOR THE WIN!!!!!!!!! #SKOL #NOvsMIN #NFLPlayoffs https://t.co/UAoNJ2NJ97
— NFL (@NFL) January 15, 2018
A hangover following something as intoxicating as the “Minneapolis Miracle” is to be expected.
The Vikings seemingly felt those effects in full force the following week in the NFC Championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Minnesota Vikings
Most Minnesota fans would agree, apart from the first offensive drive, the team did not look like the dictating, explosive force that carried them to being just a step away from the Super Bowl.
This is not an effort to discredit or question the legitimacy of Philadelphia’s victory by any stretch. They were clearly the better team during the championship game and then they rode the wave of momentum all the way to a Super Bowl victory.
But any rational fan who watched the Vikings dominate foes for the majority of the 2017 regular season will admit that something about the team was off on that Sunday in January.
While some could point fingers at the head coach as the one responsible for rallying the troops no matter the circumstances, who could be prepared to move on from a moment like this a week later?
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Throughout the beginning of his hopefully lengthy tenure, Zimmer has certainly earned the respect and trust of the Minnesota fan base. It’s comforting to hear such a transparent voice in the NFL, even when discussing his team’s heartbreaking collapse.